Return to Inaba : Naoto x Kanji
by RuinsoftheMoonVII
Summary: After one year away, Naoto returns to Inaba for a reunion with her old friends - but she's changed so much. What will they think of her new 'female' self? A commission for TheLonelyMoon on DeviantArt.


The Junes food court…

This place certainly brought back memories.

It had been just over a year now since I'd left Inaba, to go and work on cases elsewhere; it seemed needless to stay in that town any longer, since we'd solved the Midnight Channel murders. I had only gone to stay there for that reason, after all.

Now, being back, and hearing that all-too-familiar tune… it just felt a little surreal.

My time away had given me the chance to re-evaluate my aspirations, and also myself as a person. Being involved in the investigation with Yu-sempai and the others had taught me a lot; but personally, I felt I had matured even further over the last year, in more aspects than one…

Following the encounter with my so-called shadow self, it had taken me a while to settle on an image I could be satisfied with: presenting myself for what I really was… a girl; or more accurately, a young woman. I felt as if a burden had been lifted, and I finally could be true to myself – plus… it was undoubtedly easier without wearing those bandages over my chest anymore. It… had taken a lot of getting used to, mind you.

I suppose I was nervous…  
Of course, we had all been there to see Yu-sempai off that day in the spring, but that was the last time I could recall seeing everyone together.

I'd received a call from Rise-chan one day, out of the blue; she was still in Inaba, of course.  
She'd asked – or rather, pleaded – for me to come along to a little reunion during their summer break. It seemed they had all been busy with their own lives, and she was eager to have everyone gather together: I hadn't felt like I'd been given a choice, but it did sound like a nice idea. Fortunately, I could get the time off work.

So I'd ended up returning to Junes, or the "secret headquarters" as Yosuke-sempai had always put it; my intention was to rendezvous with everyone around noon, but I'd arrived a tad early. Perhaps it was due to my slight anxiety.

Of course I was looking forward to seeing everyone… truth be told, I'd been thinking about them a lot. They had been the first group of people my age that I'd thought of as my "friends"; naturally my time with them had been a significant impact on my life.

But even so… I couldn't begin to loosen the knot tightening in my stomach, as I grew increasingly self-conscious.

As I wandered into the bustle of the outdoor dining area, I felt several eyes on me, just watching… most likely because they viewed me as a stranger, but I couldn't help feeling judged. I doubted anybody would recognise me as the "Detective Prince" who had been around last year: the prevailing difference, in my mind, was that I'd grown my hair out since my previous stay. Again, along with my new style of dress, it was part of an effort of being "true" to myself.

I think that was the source of my looming apprehension.

I didn't admit it at the time, but I was quite terrified… by the thought of the other's reactions to my real self. I was still, in essence, the Naoto they knew – albeit my frame of mind and appearance had gone through considerable change.

How would they react to the "female" Naoto?

The question lingered over me, like a dark cloud, as I headed uneasily towards the benches. This was supposed to be the meeting point. I glanced about wearily, guessing that I was the first to arrive.

…I was wrong.

…

A glimpse of white blonde hair and I instantly recognised him. My cheeks lit up… unintentionally, of course.

He looked… almost_ exactly_ the same as I remembered.

Kanji Tatsumi, my former classmate, was sitting alone at a bench, twisting a straw around in a can of soda while holding his chin in his other hand. His lip was curled; I couldn't quite make out the expression on his face.

I wondered how long he must have been sitting there…

Clearly nobody else had turned up yet.

Seeing him there, for some reason, brought a small smile to my face.

My nerves were still bubbling about inside, but I felt somewhat more relaxed, knowing that I wasn't about to be plunged into seeing everyone all at once. One at a time seemed a lot easier.

On top of that, Tatsumi was perhaps the one I had spoken to the most last year; I'd like to think that we'd gotten along fairly well.

Swallowing my confidence, I made my way over to the bench. He didn't lift his gaze as I approached; he seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts, sipping through his straw.

"Umm…" I bit my lip, stammering for a split second, "Hello… Tatsumi-san."

I think I startled him. He jerked his head up, eyes wide, spluttering on his drink and nearly knocking over the can in the process. For a moment or two, he just stared – much like everyone else had so far. I couldn't help the blush creeping over my cheeks; the nerves were winding up again, and I found myself… tense?  
By his air of shock, I assumed he didn't recognise me.

"I-It's… nice to see you again." I came out with.

All at once, his cheeks were flushed with pink, and he looked almost stupefied. I panicked for a split second, thinking he was about ready to fall off the bench or-

"Are you _alright_?"

Tatsumi-san had always been… an interesting one.

The look he gave me was unsettling. I couldn't be sure what was going through his mind. He seemed to try and speak, but only gibberish spilled out of his mouth.

"Are… you alright?" I asked again, while subconsciously fiddling with my hair. It was a new habit of mine, since I'd grown it.

I could hardly stand such a trepid atmosphere.

"I-I-I-I…!?"

It was strange to see him so flustered. I knew from last year that his reputation wasn't a precise explanation of his character… but even so, he didn't seem like the sort to be easily discomposed. I wondered… did I really look so unusual? A lump formed in my throat.

This is exactly what I'd been afraid of…

"…_N-Naoto?!"_ he finally blurted out – so he _did_ recognise me.

"Yes… it's me." I frowned a little, "I'm sorry… for surprising you, I mean."

"N-No… i-it's…" he still couldn't form a complete sentence; it seemed he just didn't know what to say.

The uncomfortable atmosphere was hanging again…

"It's… good to see you." I murmured, turning my head to the side; wait, did I say that already?

I suddenly felt him looking at me, inspecting all over as if to discern that I really was who I said.

"Beau…ful…."

"What?" I turned back, blinking suddenly.

"_Aaaaack!_ I-I said… it's g-great… great to see you… I mean… guhh…"

He was rubbing the back of his head frantically. I raised an eyebrow, which only seemed to unnerve him further.

"S-Seriously… y-you…" Tatsumi left his mouth hanging open; he fumbled his speech for the umpteenth time, "Naoto, I… I'm sorry! I just… didn't recognise you, s'all…"

"That's quite alright… it_ has_ been a while since we've seen each other."

I realised that wasn't exactly the reason for his initial doubt. I smiled slightly, settling.

"Yeah… 's been way too long…" he added, with a smile of his own as he glanced away.

The moment subsided, and the two of us sat talking for a while. The conversation was slow, but at least I wasn't so nervous anymore. One down, _five_ to go…

Although… not one of the other five had shown up yet.

As time went on, I was admittedly getting a little irritated. Yukiko-sempai especially had never been late - at least not without giving us notice - when we'd attend our investigation meetings… Various scenarios ran through my mind. Had I gotten the wrong day? Or the wrong time?

But, if that were so, then Tatsumi wouldn't have been here, would he?

Did they all _forget_? Or was this just part of some foolhardy prank?

I wasn't to know that one of my assumptions was actually correct.

I think Tatsumi could tell that I that I was growing impatient. He seemed fairly restless himself; still looking rather feverish.

Sighing, I glanced around; I gathered that we would be waiting around for a lot longer. I'd been on a tiring train ride to get here as well, and so I was eager to move about.

I turned to Tatsumi, looking him in the eye; he jumped, almost as if I'd taken a shot at him. It made me falter.

"U-Um… W-We'll probably be waiting here for quite some time. I haven't looked around since I got here, so... did you want to go for a walk or something?"

I suddenly thought that it hadn't been wise to ask. His face only reddened even more – I began to wonder if it was the heat getting to him?

"W-W-W-Walk? W-With me?!" his voice cracked, "_Y-YEAH!_ I-I mean… of course, I-I'd love to… you know, walk with… i-it'd be nice to, y' know… stretch our _legs!?"_

He added that last part with a rising inclination. He was noticeably sweating now; I gave him a concerned look, but only briefly. Perhaps "stretching our legs" would be beneficial for him.

Walking side by side with him, I realised I had grown somewhat. Not all that much though.

He was still much taller than me.

As we headed down towards the Samegawa flood plain, I was still trying to contemplate the reason for the other's delay. Tatsumi, however, seemed to be thinking about something else. I kept catching him, glancing at me from the corner of my eye. It was making me a little uncomfortable…

I'd brought myself back to the time when I'd first met him, and we'd walked together side by side like this. Back then I'd only been interested in finding out information for the murder investigation… and now, even though this walk should have been far more pleasant, I was nervous.

I had never really troubled myself before about what others thought. But as my heart began to pound, faster with every other step, I realised that… I did care what _he _thought - maybe more than anyone else.

Since his moment of surprise, he hadn't once said anything else about the way I looked; about how I'd _changed_… it was bothering me more than it should have. In the back of my mind, I sort of… wanted to know how he felt about me now.

He'd been strangely quiet… or perhaps this was how he'd always been around me? I'd never really noticed. But now that I thought about it…

"H-Hey… um, Naoto?"

"Hm? Yes?" I blinked, being taken by surprise myself; had I been so lost in thought?

He'd stopped walking, and was rubbing the back of his head again. I watched him, curiously.

"Y-You know…" he paused, as if recounting what he'd wanted to say.

"Yes?" I pressed him.

Agitation was written all across his face. He started looking around quickly, and that's when I realised how quiet it was. We were completely alone, by the river. For some reason that fact suddenly made my chest feel very light.

Tatsumi finally seemed satisfied that nobody else was around; he turned his eyes back down on me. That look again…

"You, um… I-I wanted to say this earlier, but… I was worried the others might show up before I got the chance."

I moved my head slightly, confused. What could he have wanted to say without the others being around to hear?

"I-I still don't know how to say it…" he stammered, "I-I mean… I think you… You look r-really amazing… _seriously!_ I just couldn't believe my eyes…"

Those words caused me to blush, and I couldn't hide it. My heart was beating so fast that it rang in my ears. For some reason… it meant so much to me…

"And seeing ya like this, I just… I-I think… this is just something I've been wanting to do… f-for a long time…"

I could barely keep up with what was going on, but in a moment I found his face drawing closer to mine. I was rooted to the spot, but strangely loose… as if, I wanted whatever it was to happen.

We were almost touching… I felt him exhale on my lips.  
It stirred up some feeling inside me.

I'd never felt like this… I…

"OH MY GOOOOSH!"

The shrill cry of a voice I remembered all too well stopped the both of us dead. Tatsumi made a gagging sound, and again I thought he might fall over; I stumbled back too, my face on fire. Swerving around, my eyes popped wide open upon meeting with several other pairs.

"Awwww! Rise, you gave it all away!"

"He…hehehehe!"

"Uh oh! Yukiko's laughing fit has started guys!"

"Hehehehehehehehe!"

"I _knew _it! I told you, Yosuke! They were giving each other funny looks back at Junes! Ahhh, such a bear-y romantic reunion…"

"Shut _up_, Ted!"

"-owww!"

"Heheh… I guess it was pretty obvious that we were watching the whole time, huh?"

"I just can't believe they were going to… _seriously! _Kanji…Oh my gosh!_"_

"And Naoto… you look so different now! We didn't recognise you at first!"

"Yeah! Heh, you look like a real lady… should we still call you Naoto-kun?"

"Hehehehehehe!"

"Ohhh my goooooooosh!"

Yosuke, Yukiko, Chie, Rise and Teddie: the beaming grins of my old friends were awfully ill timed. The girls were giggling out of control, while Yosuke smirked mischievously alongside the starry-eyed bear.  
Tatsumi had been blow completely out of it, while I could only stand there goggling, and flushing at least fifty shades of red.

I knew this would take a hefty explanation…

But no matter how frantically I searched my mind… I simply didn't have one.


End file.
